Musicals
The following is a list of musicals that I own the recordings
to. This list was last updated December 1, 2007. Descriptions were last updated April 3, 2006.
[Title of Show]
3hree I actually know very little about the musical
3hree, other than the fact it is three musicals in one. The first is about
an exterminator and his wife. The second is about a girl who wants to
go to a party who from what I can figure, you find out in the end is actually
dead. The third: The Flight of the Lawnchair Man, is about a man who wants
to fly and ties hundreds of balloons to a lawnchair and the musical is
mostly set in the sky, and the people he meets there sing: Leonardo DaVinci,
Amilia Earheart….et cetera.
9 to 5
13
11o In The Shade
1776 A musical about writing the Declaration of Independence.
A Chorus Line One of my absolute favorites. I discovered this
show after purchasing te movie with Michael Douglas (who no, does not
sing or dance at all, he’s the director in the show) The show starts out
with hundreds of people auditioning to be in the chorus of a new Broadway
show (if art imitates life, Broadway really takes the bull by the horns,
there are lots of shows, about shows) The hundreds of people are narrowed
down quickly to I believe twelve. The director tries to get into the heads
of these people by asking them questions about ttheir lives, and trying
to figure out who they really are. Some answers are spoken as dialogue,
some are sung as songs, some are sung in a recititive kind of style. During
the course of the auditions, a out of work Broadway sstar shows up for
the auditions….late, I might add. This woman is the directors ex wife,
or ex girlfriend, I believe its his ex-wife though. She has some songs,
there’s a lot of dancing, and this is a wonderful show.
A Little Night Music This is a Sondheim show, and as with many
shows by him, I know almost every word of almost every song, but don’t
really know what the show is about. Sondheim tells his stories through
the music so much, that often, it can be difficult to detect exactly what
they are about. Nonetheless, a wonderful show.
Aida Aida is a show about an African princess. Its a Disney show,
and I don’t really know the story, but I do know the music…some of it…it
has some wonderful songs. Its one of those that I plan to get to eventually…you’ll
find as we go that there are several of those.
Ain’t Misbehavin
Anyone Can Whistle
Anything Goes
Assassins is about the assassination of three presidents. I’ve
only gotten into this show pretty recently. It is another Sondheim show,
so the music is good, and catchy, and fun, even though the show is pretty
sserious. Mario Cantone does a song in this show that is very good called
“Have It Your Way” There is also a WONDERFUL love song, probably
my favorite love song from a musical, and its called “Unworthy of
Your Love”
Avenue Q holds a special place in my heart. I actually discovered
Avenue Q through some friends of mine which is very unusual. I’m usually
the first one to know about any musical, or to get into it. This one though,
my knowledge of came from Rolla of all places, and some friends that I
have at UMR. (Thanks Jayson and Josh!) Anyway, its very fun. Its all puppets,
but the actors walk around with these puppets on stage. It is the story
of a guy who has graduated college and is ready to move on with his life
and get things started, but doesn’t know his purpose. There are friends
and subplots, like a gay republican guy in love with his straight roomate,
who refuses to admit to anyone else or himself that he is gay. You learn
their story. You learn the story of Kate, the woman that the main character
falls in love with. Also Brian and Christmas eve, and interracial couple.
Gary Coleman is the superintedent of the apartment buildings on Avenue
Q. Yeah, that Gary Coleman. Its a very fun show, and totally worth getting
into.
Babes in Arms
Baby! is the story of three couples at three very different stages
of life as they go through all the stages of pregnancy, from the VERY
beginning–conception. One couple is in their forties, the children grown,
when they learn they are pregnant again. The next, a college couple discovers
that that they are pregnant and its happend by accident. The third,semi-newleyweds
have been trying for a while to concieve, and finally do.
Big
Big River is the story of Huckleberry Finn, based on
the original book by Mark Twain. The music is fantastic and is kind of
a mix of country/bluegrass/gospel.
Billy Elliot
Black & Blue
Bounce is about the gold rush. It is a Sondheim show, but I don’t
know that he really wants to claim it. It really didn’t do very well,
and while the music is good, most of it isn’t all that catchy. That is
not to say that good music must be catchy, this show just didn’t impress
most as well as his previous ones.
Brooklyn
Bye, Bye Birdie!
Cabaret is the story of Sally Bowles a nightclub dancer
during the Nazi occupation of Germany. She falls in love with an lingust
who teaches and translates trashy books. The story is told through a series
of cabaret-style nightclub acts.
Camelot
Candide
A Catered Affair
Cats Yeah, I know, everyone knows Cats, but I’ve got it and I
love it. I wanted the british version because I like it better, but it
was $60 at Borders, so I bought the American version, which isn’t as good,
but is good nonetheless.
Chess
Chicago came into my musical repoitoire much like it came into
everyone elses, with the movie. I actually have three versions of this
musical though. The Movie Soundtrack, The 1997 Broadway Revival, and The
Original Broadway Cast Recording. I’m going to put the version on here
that is from the movie, because its the only one I have on my computer.
My favorite version is the revival with Bebe Niuwirth. It has songs cut
from the original, and then of COURSE in the movie the cut all kinds of
songs. It has the most music, and a lot of the cut songs are very fun,
unfortunately, they won’t be listed here
Children of Eden
Closer than Ever
Company is yet another Sondheim show. It takes place in the apartment
of this couple who is throwing a party, and focuses on trying to marry
off Bobby, everyone’s single friend. It has a fantastic score, and several
of his most famous songs come from it. Much of the musical review “Putting
It Together” comes from Company.
Curtains
Debbie Does Dallas
De-Lovely probably doesn’t count as a musical, because
its a movie and was never a brodaway show. It tells the story of Cole
Porter, a famous composer. The movie features modern artists from pop
and jazz music singing a very small selection of the almost 1000 songs
he’s written. The movie uses his music to tell his story, the musical
of his life–that he wrote the music for–only collected from his many,
many, many shows.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a broadway musical starring
John Lithegow, Joanna Gleason, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherrie Renee Scott
(the last two were the stars of “The Last Five Years”) This
is a broadway musical based on the movie. It is about a couple of con-men
who set out to take the fortunes of young women vising the french Riveria.
Do I Hear a Waltz?
Dreamgirls is a new one to me. I know one of the songs off of
it because its on CAMP, and the song is so good I had to buy the CD. Its
about a singing group called the Dreams. This is actually being made into
a movie and will come out in December of 2006. Jennifer Holiday sings
her famous “And I am Telling You” in this show.
Evita is another case where I discovered the musicalthrough the
movie. Of course, the only version of this that I have is the one from
the Movie with Madonna, which is very good version. My only issue with
it is that several of the songs were switched from other characters so
that Madonna could sing them….. Well, at least one. Evita is the story
of Eva Peron, a streetgirl turned actress turned first lady of Argentina.
The Andrew Lloyd Weber show follows her life from early on until the end. It starts with her death.
Falsettoland
Fame Becomes Me
Fine and Dandy
Follies is another Stephen Sondheim show. I’ve had this
for a couple of months but haven’t gotten around to really listening to
it yet. It seems to be about showgirls.
Forbidden Broadway – Various
Funny Girl
Godspell
Grease the movie version. I think everyone probably knows Grease,
but in case you don’t. Its the story of two high schoolers who fall in
love over the summer and find out that one has been transfered to the
other’s school. Their inappropriate love faces trials because of social
standings, which other characters deal with dropouts and pregnancy all
in the 1950s.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Grey Gardens
Guys & Dolls
Gypsy
Hair
Hairspray What more could you want out of a musical than to have
it be based on a John Waters movie, AND to be scored by the same guy that
did South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut? Hairspray is the storry of
Tracy who wants to dance on the Corny Collins show, which is sort of a
Baltimorian American Bandstand show. The problem? She’s fat, and progressive…she likes the black people. The show is about her, and its very fun.
Hallelujah, Baby!
Hello Dolly! is another show that I know the whole thing, this
one I’ve actually been in. The story is about Dolly who is a matchmaker,
et cetera. Basically, whatever you need done, she’s the one to go to to
get it accomplished. She decides its time to mary and chooses Horace,
a half-a-millionare in Younkers, New York. She just has to meet him.
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is a fun show
about a man climbing a corporate ladder, thanks to the help of a cheatsheet
kind of book. He falls in love with a secretary on his way up. Walter
Cronkite is the voice of the book.
In the Heights
Into The Woods I have two versions of this show. The
original Broadway Cast, and a semi-recent revival. I was in this show
my sophomore year of high school. This was my very first introduction
to Sondheim. It is very good, and sort of one of his more accessible shows.
It weaves several fable/fairy tales together to create one big story…they
are all held together by the story of the baker and his wife who desperately
want to have a child.
Jelly’s Last Jam
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Kiss Me Kate Ooo, Cole Porter.
La Cage Aux Folles this is the musical that the movie ‘The Birdcage’ is based upon. Really popular songs from it are “La Cage Aux Folles” and of course “I Am What I Am” which has been covered numerous times, and was further popularized by Donna Summer with a disco version.
Legally Blonde: The Musical the musical based on the popular movie that starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods. Our new Elle is Laura Bell Bundy and she’s wonderful. This show sounds like it might seem stupid, but actually has wonderful music and is really fun.
Little Shop of Horrors the movie version, I believe.
Man of La Mancha
Merrily We Roll Along is another Sondheim show that a few of his
famous songs come from, less than Company, but it has an excellent score.
Monty Python’s Spamalot is about something, though like
most Monty Python things, I’m not sure exactly what. Actually, the knights
of the round table must find something, in a bush I believe. Sir-Launcelot
is gay, and the music is fun. I believe this won a bunch of Tony awards
the year it came out….perhaps even best new musical.
Moulin Rouge yet another movie that I probably shouldn’t
include, but will anyway. It is about a dancer at the moulin rouge and
the quintessential bohemian she falls in love with in turn of the century
Paris, specifically at the moulin rouge.
My Favorite Year
A New Brain
Newsies is another movie, this one disney, which means
as good as the music is it shouldn’t be included either, though, I figure
I might as well, since I’m listing a bunch of movies anyway. Its about
newspaper boys in NYC.
Next To Normal
Nine is about Guido Contini, a filmmaker, and his wife
and family. Its actually very good, and the music is fantastic as well.
On The Record is a new Disney show that I just got the soundtrack
to about two weeks ago. It is about recording artsits, and the disney
music from over the years becomes the soundtrack of their lives.
Once on this Island
Once Upon A Mattress has become a fast favorite of mine. The version
that I have stars Sarah Jessica Parker, and its a REALLY funny show, so
she’s perfect for it. Its the story of The Priness and the Pea, only,
as you’re told in the beginning, its the whole story, the real story.
Pacific Overtures
Pal Joey
Parade is a Jason Robert Brown show (I tend to be sort of obsessed
with his shows) it is about a man named Leo Frank who as Jew from NYC
living in Atlanta tries to live under the radar, and hates his life. He
runs a factory, and one of the girls that works there, gets murdered there,
and he is wrongfully accused, tried and sentenced to death. His rekindiles
his relationships with his wife, which was in trouble before, as all of
this happens, when she finally finds proof that he is innocent, he is
pardoned by the governor, which causes political scandal, all of this
based on a true story. A Fabulous show, one of my very favorites.
Pippin
Putting It Together is a show I hold very dear because aside from
being in Into The Woods, it was my first introduction to Sondheim, and
to a whole world of Musical Theater I knew nothing about. Putting It Together,
is a review of sondheim songs from quite a few of his shows. Every one
is wonderful. DIRECTV had this on Pay Per View with several famous people
in it, a revival version–that was first one I saw. No matter how many
times I listen to it, I can ALWAYS listen to it, at any time, always.
The story is very loose–basically, The Haves, are throwing a party, and
a couple of Have Nots, that are clawing their way up are there. They play
party games, discuss life, marriage, etc. Another wondrful show with wonderful
arrangements of songs from many of his shows, mixed, and changed and twisetd
and tweaked to fit this plot. This is the orginal cast version that I
bought on iTunes, since I bought it there, I can’t copy it, which makes
me sad because this is the perfect show to introduce newcomers to Sondheim.
So, GO buy it!
Ragtime
Rent What can I say about Rent? TONS of people I know, have seen
Rent, I haven’t. I had all the music memorised before they’d ever heard
of it but, I’ve never seen it. (Jealous much, can you tell?) Its a show
about people living with AIDS and their friends, written by Jonathan Larson,
his only show that ever made it to broadway….I believe it made it to
broadway AFTER his death, too. Its very good, he has kind of a rock and
roll style.
Saturday Night is Stephen Sondheim’s very first show.
It wasn’t actully produced though until after he’d done other shows. It
is really wonderful, though the most tame of his shows. It takes place
on three separate Saturday Nights. It is about a Stock Broker who falls
in love, and his friends.
Seussical The Musical has the distinction of being the only show
I’ve ever seen on Broadway. Recently I also saw Helias do a prodcution
of it at Richardson (here in JC, at Lincoln U) This is a fun show that
takes lots of classic Dr. Seuss books and combines them together into
one story, much the way sondheim does with the classic fairy tales in
Into The Woods. This show didn’t do very well, and didn’t run very long,
which is sad, becasue it is really very fun.
Smokey Joes Cafe is a musical in which all the songs
are Leiber and Stoller. You’d recognize almost all of these songs as pop-hits
from the 50s and 60s.
Songs For A New World is a brodaway show that is actually a collection
of songs that have just a little to do with each other. Each song is a
story in and of itself. This was Jason Rober Brown’s First show and also
the first one I’d ever heard of. I love the songs SO much, I’ve memorised
them all. I used to listen to this in my car for months and months. The
vocals are as amazing as the songs, and they have to be, the songs are
HARD to sing, I know, because of course, I sing them! It is VERY worth
a listen if you are new to the whole musical thing….you’re sure to love
it no matter what your interest…be sure to pick it up again when you’re
a seasoned theater veteran, you’ll never tire of it. Its very very good.
Spring Awakening
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut I include this because it was written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman. They are big broadway people, they wrote things like Hairspray, Fame Becomes Me, et al.
Starting Here, Starting Now
Sunday In The Park With George is a show about a painting. Remember
that painting with all the people in the park and the umbrellas and the
poofy dresses? Sunday In The Park With George, is the musical of that
painting. The Characters come to life, and the set–the painting—magically
changes throught the show. Leave it to Sondheim…
Sweeney Todd
Sweet Charity is a Neil Simon show that is in revival.
The revival version stars Christina Applegate. The show is about the most
positive girl in New York City. The show stars with her being dumped and
thrown into the lake, having her money stolen by her man. She is a taxi-dancer
and she meets a man in an elevator and falls in love with him. Eventually,
not being able to get over her past, he dumps her in the exact same place
as the last guy, but she is still optimistic.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a newer
show about a spelling bee and the students in it. Really fun music and
personal experiences brought onto stage make this music very enjoyable,
as do the creative characters.
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is about a brothel
in texas near the state capital that the government and police know about
but doesn’t shut down. Its famous, and even the local football team goes
there. The Watchdog, a religious television personality, decides that
its time for it to go.
The Boy From Oz is about the life of the man that married Liza
Minalli…..don’t ask which one! The bisexual one named Peter…yes! Him!
It follows mostly the midsection of his life. It takes place in the 70s
mostly, and has a decidedly 70s feel to the music and the costuming, and
everything about it. It features a couple of songs from the 70s that are
not original to the show. When this openend on Broadway it was starring
Hugh Jackman.
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
The Frogs/Evening Primrose is two musicals on one CD.
Actually the first is Stephen Sondheim’s “The Frogs” in which
a couple of the gods throw a festival and a party and invite the Gods
of the Theater. I believe they decide to have a play… and that is perhaps
why they need the Gods of the Theater. Evening Primrose
is about a man who moves into a department store to escape the world and
finds that there are already people living there. This was a tv movie
in the sixties and is Sondheims only made-for-tv special. Its one hour
long, I haven’t seen it but the music is absolutely amazing. (the Four
songs)
The Full Monty is the broadway version of the movie
about a group of down-and-out men who decide to put on a strip show for
the local community in order to raise money. The central character is
a single father.
The Fantastiks is a show that I have bought, and have yet to listen
to all of, and I know absolutely nothing about…The original production
on Broadway starred Jerry Orbach. I’ll have to get back to you on this…
The Last Five Years is a Jason Robert Brown show, so you know,
like Parade and Songs For a New world that I love it and it kicks my ass.
It is the story of a five year marriage told by one from beginning to
end, and by the other from the end to the beginning. The only time the
two ever sing together is at their wedding (The Next Ten Minutes) in the
end of the first act. This is a show that its pretty short, but the music,
again, as in all JRB, speaks for itself. I’m told that Ohio, in this show
is actually the Arrow Rock theater, here in Missouri.
The Life is about prostitutes in Times Square in the
1980s. The music is fun and fantastic. Queenie and her Man/Pimp Fleetwood,
are trying to get out of the life. Well, Queenie is, but she believes
Fleetwood is too. He devises a plan for them to make enough money to get
out of the life by turning yet another girl from the midwest into a hooker.
The Light in the Piazza is a newer show and I’m not
sure what its about, I haven’t listened to it too much yet, though I’ve
had it for several months. I believe its a classic boy meets girl love
story, only the girl is American and the man is Italian. They meet in
Italy and fall in love but language, and other things, complicate.
The Lion King
The Music Man
The Pajama Game
The Phantom of the Opera admittedly, I’m not the biggest Andrew Lloyd Weber fan, but he did get me started on broadway stuff… so yeah.
The Pirates of Penzance
The Producers is about a broadway producer, and a man who wants
to be one who create a really bad show, “springtime for hitler” in an
effort to steal the money when the show flops. When the show actually
becomes a big hit, seen as social commentary, they wonder where they went
right.
The Rink
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a broadway show, though
I only have the movie soundtrack. It is about a transvestite who creates
a creature to be with him. The creature (a man) falls in love with a visiting
woman, Janet. I need to get the broadway version of this, there are extra
songs in it.
Thoroughaly Modern Millie is so fun, its a jazzy little
show about Millie, in the1920s. She wants to be a flapper and a modern
girl who works. She moves to New York and falls in love with her boss
Trevor Grayden. Fun music, and a cute story.
The Wild Party – Andrew Lippa
The Wild Party – Michael John LaChiusa
T.W.O.B.P. – A secret musical! Oooooooh.
Tick..Tick…Boom! I have no idea what this show is about, but
I bought it because it was by Jonathan Larson (Rent) and I really love
the music in it. Its very fun to listen to… it was his first show and
it never made it to broadway.
Urinetown: The Musical Yeah, its really called that. and it is
just as bizarre as it promises titularly. It takes place in the future
and water is in very short supply. The only toilets are public toilets
and they cost money to use. Of Course, its illegal to just pee anywhere,
if you get caught peeing just anywhere, you are sent to Urinetown which
is kind of a debtors prision for people who pee in public.
West Side Story - Bits and pieces
Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the west, is
the full title of the book that this musical is based on. Wicked is about
Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west, who, is very misunderstood as we
find out. I LOVE this musical, expect to see lots of bolded titles.
Wonderful Town a pair of sisters from Ohio come to New York. This has really really great music and most of the lyrics are pretty good as well. I suppose its no surprise that the music is wonderful… its Leonard Bernstein.
Xanadu
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is a musical that I got from
a friend, I think my brothers class did this as a play in middle school,
and that was the first time I’d ever seen it. I’m sure they did a great
job but, I did enjoy it much more this time around, with the soundtrack
and all. It is about Charlie Brown and all the other peanuts characters.
Young Frankenstein